Too Little, Too Late?
by joshrox116
Summary: When Charlie is injured, will his playing future be the only thing he jeapordises? Or will it ruin his marriage as well?
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm back, this is the sequel to HeartBroken, it's a short first chapter, it's sort of an introduction if you like. It's set in the future again from where the last one ended, as you'll see. Enjoy! Oh yeah, it's my birthday tomorrow! (December 22) I'm 15, I can't wait! LOL  
  
This is for Rylie, for making me write more so she could read about her and Kyle. I miss you chookie, and Hannah, Amy, Leefa and anyone else that you've convinced to read it!  
  
This is also for my absolute favourite reviewer, C-chan96, because she's a true Charlie believer.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for slash references, sexual references, coarse language, and adult themes.  
  
Disclaimers" I own nothing L but I can dream of owning Charlie, it's all written for you to read!  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
"Chloe! Please baby, stop moving and let me finish your hair," Katie said, exasperated.  
  
"How long until we see Daddy?" Chloe asked impatiently, trying not to move as her mother pulled her ponytail through the elastic one last time.  
  
"Until we see Daddy play or until we can talk to him?"  
  
"Until we see him play."  
  
Katie looked at her watch. "About half an hour. We still have to get there," Katie explained.  
  
"Why isn't Luke coming?"  
  
"Because he's still a bit young, he'd get bored," Katie told her, just before the doorbell rang.  
  
"Hey Kyle, Rylie," Katie regretted them.  
  
"Hey Auntie K," Kyle said lazily, strolling past her into the house.  
  
"Hi Mrs Conway,"- Rylie smiled shyly.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Katie, we're both adults, and you're making me feel old," she told her.  
  
"You are old," Kyle told her, earning himself a light slap across the back off his head from his aunt.  
  
"Luke's already in bed, the guest bedroom is set up for the two of you, just try and keep it quiet," Katie smirked at them. "If you get hungry, or you need to keep your strength up, there's plenty of food in the kitchen, just help yourself," she said, shrugging on her jacket and grabbing her keys and bag.  
  
"Chloe, time to go! Bye you guys, we'll see you in a few hours." Katie closed the door behind her and she and Chloe drove to the rink.  
  
"Here?" Chloe asked, clearly unimpressed. "I play here."  
  
"Who do you play with here?" Katie asked her.  
  
"Daddy," Chloe shrugged off.  
  
"Yeah, your Dad brings you here because he plays here," Katie explained to her.  
  
"Oh." Chloe considered this for a minute. "Ok."  
  
"Ok," Katie smiled at her, leading her inside.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Mummy, I need to go to the bathroom," Chloe whinged.  
  
Katie glanced at the clock - less than 5 minutes to go. "Can you hold on?"  
  
"No, I hafta go."  
  
Katie bit her lip. The game was 2-1, Ducks way, but there were still 4 minutes left, and Charlie was on.  
  
"I'll take her," Hannah offered. Hannah was Katie's closest female friend, and her husband was on the team, which naturally was how they met.  
  
"Oh thank you," Katie sighed, full of relief. She turned back to the game as Hannah took Chloe's hand and led her out of the reserved section. Katie clapped as their goaltender made a save and Charlie retrieved the puck and sped towards the goal.  
  
Everything from then happened in slow motion - from out of nowhere, a Toronto player checked him hard against the boards. She gasped as Charlie hit the ice and didn't get back up on his skates. She stood as his team-mates gathered around him, and when the medics started to make their way onto the ice she bolted past Hannah and Chloe down to the side of the rink as they brought him off.  
  
"What's wrong, what's happening," she questioned the medics urgently.  
  
"Family only," she was told.  
  
"I'm his wife!"  
  
"We're taking him to the hospital ma'am. If you could make your way there, we should know more," the other one explained.  
  
"Is he going to be ok?" She begged.  
  
"We can't say anything yet ma'am, I'm sorry," he told her.  
  
Katie watched tearfully as they wheeled him away. "He's going to be ok," she told herself, "he has to be." 


	2. Chapter 2

Rating: PG-13 for slash references, sexual references, coarse language and adult themes  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Author's Note: Hey everybody! Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but I've been busy reading all the Brian/Michael fics from Queer As Folk, which is now my favourite show! Mainly because I'm stuck in some little country hick town where they don't have any good TV channels, so I'm without Dawson's Creek - but have no fear, I have all three of my Mighty Duck movies with me!  
  
Hannah, how nice to hear from you! Your husband, I don't care about him, but to satisfy you, he is a dead ringer for Orli. Okay?  
  
C-chan96, yes I posted the sequel! I hope that your uncle is okay. And I'm sorry it has taken me so long, but I had to fill my brother in on the story, and he's a slow learner LOL.  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Katie sat anxiously in the waiting area. She'd been there for almost half an hour, and not knowing what was going on was driving her insane.  
  
She glanced over as someone sat next to her and slung their arm across her shoulders.  
  
"What are you doing here! I thought you had tonight off," Katie exclaimed.  
  
"I did, I got called in. It seems as though your husband refuses to listen to anyone that isn't me," JT shrugged. "But don't get shitty with him, at least he's willing to be treated this time," he reminded her.  
  
"That's true," Katie acknowledged. The last time Charlie had been in hospital was in Vancouver a few years ago, and he'd refused to let them treat him. Instead, Katie'd had to drive him back to LA so he could go and see his GP.  
  
"So, are you going to come in or not?" JT, now standing, asked her.  
  
"Huh? Oh, um, yeah, sure," Katie replied, standing and following him into the room where Charlie was.  
  
"Hey," Charlie greeted her, "where's Chloe?"  
  
"Hannah took her home for me, I called Kyle and Rylie and they're going to stay for as long as we need them to," Katie explained.  
  
"Shouldn't' be long, I'm fine to go home, aren't I," Charlie said, looking to JT for agreement.  
  
"I don't think so," JT said, looking at what was written on his chart.  
  
"What are you saying?" Charlie accused.  
  
"You wanna do it like that, fine," JT fired back. "Stand up then, and walk across the room, but you're not allowed to use anything to support yourself."  
  
"Fine, that's easy," Charlie scoffed. Gingerly he lifted himself off the bed and stood, clenching his jaw in pain. He started to lift his left leg to step forward, but his right leg wouldn't support him and instead he fell back on the bed.  
  
"You've done in your knee," JT stated. "You'll have to stay overnight, and you won't be playing again this season, unless you want it to be the last time you ever play." He made to leave the room but stopped in the doorway. "Stay off it until you're allowed, I mean it." He turned to Katie, "I'll wait outside."  
  
"Ok," Katie said, acknowledging that he wanted to speak to her.  
  
"Fucking bastard," Charlie muttered. "I'm fine!"  
  
"Honey, you seriously can't still believe that. I think you just proved that you're not fine. Don't blame JT for this, it's not his fault your knee's busted," she told him.  
  
"Yeah, I got that already," he snapped. "I don't need your bull ok, so why don't you just go home."  
  
"What's really going on here Charlie?" Katie questioned, sitting in the chair facing his bed.  
  
"Nothing," he said tiredly.  
  
"Babe, this isn't a nothing," she said. "I know it's more than your knee that's bugging you. What is it?"  
  
"You want to know what I is, I'll tell you what it ns. That bastard busted my nee, I have to miss the rest of the season, I'm stuck in this dump overnight, I probably scared the shit out of my little girl, and you're still here bugging me when I already told you to go home. I just… want t be alone, ok?"  
  
She stared at him for a minute before standing and making her way to the door. She turned back and looked at him before slowly nodding, half-smiling.  
  
"Ok," she said, closing the door gently behind her.  
  
"Fuck," Charlie groaned, attempting to get up and go after her but failing and throwing himself angrily against his pillows, cursing the whole time.  
  
~*~*~  
  
JT looked at Katie expectantly as she exited Charlie's room.  
  
"What?" She asked as they started walking out into the car park.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
Katie smiled. "He's fine, he's actually a bit better than I though he would be. He's really shitty about being in hospital and not being able to play for the rest of the season, so he's fine." She stopped at her car. "You wanna come over for a while? What time do you have to work tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure, and I don't. I have 2 whole days off, which is great because Liam gets home tomorrow afternoon from Boston, so we'll have the whole of Sunday to spend together," JT smiled.  
  
"Oh, poor baby has been missin' some action," Katie teased, nudging him gently as she drove out.  
  
"Not as much as you do when you miss one night, like you're going to tonight," he shot back.  
  
"Ouch," Katie said, mocking hurt, and she and JT laughed as she pulled into her driveway.  
  
Katie motioned for JT to b quiet as she unlocked and opened the door. They walked quietly into the lounge room, where the TV was going quietly and Kyle and Rylie were asleep on the couch. Katie smiled evilly at JT and clapped her hands near Kyle's ear.  
  
"What the hell!" Kyle sat up quickly, causing Rylie to almost fall off the couch.  
  
"Time for you two to go to bed," Katie told them, watching as they stumbled upstairs to the bedrooms.  
  
"Do you want something to eat, or drink, or what the hell even both?" Katie asked, walking into the kitchen.  
  
"No thanks," JT replied, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.  
  
"Your loss," Katie said. "I' having a hot chocolate. Changed your mind?"  
  
JT just looked at her and she smiled, getting two mugs out.  
  
"So," JT asked between sips, "what's the deal with the ones you sent to bed?"  
  
"That's my nephew, Kyle, and his girlfriend Rylie. They're 21, can you believe it? They've been going out since they were 16, I think,"" Katie explained.  
  
"Are you sure it's such a good idea sending them to bed together?"  
  
Katie smiled into her mug. "No matter how much I tell them to be quiet doing it around my house, I don't need to worry. They don't believe in sex before marriage."  
  
"Unlike someone I know," JT quipped.  
  
Katie's mouth dropped open and she started pelting him with marshmallows and they both cracked up, their laughter ringing through the house. 


End file.
